Upholstered refrigerator cabinet



Aug- 28 1956 E. B. Dl-:RR ETAL 2,760,301

UPHOLSTERED REFRIGERATOR CABINET l 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July l5, 1952 lo .2. i? 28 x tg i Aug. 28, 1956 E. B; DERR ETAL UPHOLSTERED REFRIGERATOR CABINET 2 sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July l5, 1952 United States Patent G UPHoLsrERED REFRIGEnAroR CABINET Elmer B. Derr, Oak Park, lll., and Benton Dales and Henry C. Abrahamsen, Evansville, Ind., assignors, by mesue assignments, to Whirlpool-Seeger Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application July 15, 1952, Serial No. 298,898

3 Claims. (Cl. l5- 138) This invention relates to a refrigerator cabinet construction, but more particularly it is concerned with and directed to the provision of a refrigerator cabinet covered with a sheathing of upholstering material or the like, and to a simplified method for accomplishing the covering thereof. Y

As is well known in the industry, it has long been the practice to fabricate refrigerator cabinets from sheet metal coated with a baked enamel material that. provided the cabinet with a finish having a smooth, durablepand relatively attractive appearance, Heretofore, such'. enamel coatings were generally limited to the lighter shades but most frequently were confined to the white hues. Qn occasion, however, other colors and shade gradations were utilized and offered to the public but always with very limited success. The diiculty of modifying, substituting or varying colors once applied, and the inflexibility of changing such colored surfaces to meet the ever changing whims and fancies of the individual'user always seemed to seriously militate against the ready acceptance thereof by the public. This was true despite ther fact that the public otherwisev was highly receptive to and profoundly interested in the introduction of color or pattern designs to the exterior of cabinets of this character as a means for accenting or complementing other colors or decorative patterns in the same room.

Today more than ever before, the housewife user of a refrigerator cabinet is mindful and conscious of the effect. of blending patterns and matching or accenting color or other decorative schemes in the room where such cabinet is most frequently positioned; hence the problem of providing a refrigerator cabinet that is suiciently dexible of change to tit into all decorative revisions Athat may be brought about over a period of time by the fanciful whims and ever-changing moods of the housewife, without having to purchase anew cabinet for each such revision, is one of constantly `ascending importance, and one which is consistently receiving considerable thought and study within the industry.V Ancillary thereto, however, is the additional problem that involves the provision of a greatly simplied and easily operable arrangement that permits such changes to be readily eected by the vaverage mechanically unskilled housewife in a veryshort time and Without the use of complicated, unfamiliar tools or other such devices. The present invention thus was conceived to fulfill the requirements created by these problems, and its primary object, therefore, is to provide an improved refrigerator cabinet, generally conventional in construction, that oiferstheexibility of change necessary and essentialtfor fulfilling a long-felt and highly desirable need in the refrigeration industry. Y J

Another object is te' provide a refrigerator cabinet whoseV exterior surface may be covered, wheirik desired by the user, with anrupholstering' or like material without any Way marring' or defacing said cabinet surface'.

further object is to provide' a refrigerator cabinet having' nie/ans'V incorporated therein to facilitate' the' secur- 2,750,301 y Patented Aug. 2S, 1955 ing of an upholstering or like material over the exterior surface thereof.

A still further object is to provide a simple, inexpensive,

`effective and easily operable means for aiiixing a covering a sheathing or an upholstering material or the like to the exterior of a refrigerator cabinet.

A further important object is to provide a refrigerator cabinet door having simplified aixing means thereon adapted to receive and securely position in tightly stretched relationship a covering or sheathing material against the surface thereof so that said material will lie closely conformed to the contours of said surface.

A still further important object is to provide a refrigerator cabinet door structure having yieldable securing means adjacent the inwardly turned marginal edges thereof for receiving and removably aflixing the edges ofV a covering material positioned over the surface thereof.

A principal object of the present invention. also includes the provision of a refrigerator cabinet havingaa high degree of flexibility for chwge in that the exterior thereof may be easily and inexpensively altered or modifiedin appearance, at will, by the addition theretoof a covering or sheathing material that may be selected to accent or complement the color scheme or decor ofthe room into which such cabinet is positionable.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.V For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a front plan view of a refrigerator cabinet wherein the door thereof has been coveredwith an. upholstering or like material in accordance with the present invention; v

Fig. 2 is a side view of the cabinet shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a perspective View, partially in section, of a preferred form of the aflixing means provided for securing the covering material against the cabinet surface;

Fig 4 is -a sectional View taken on lines 4-'4 of Figs. l andl 2. Y

ig. 5 is a sectional View taken on line Ele-5 of Fig. l;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail of a fragmentary sectional View taken on line 6--6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is similar to Fig. 6, but without the protecting trim strip in place, andfshows the relativevposition of the covering material before said trim strip is positioned over the retainer;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view, partially in section, show- 19. The front access opening isV covered by a closure door, indicated generally by the numeral 11, which .in-

. 'cludes an outer metallic front panelV 12 having a rearwardly turned'top waJl13, and opposite side walls 14 and 15.` Said' side and top walls terminate in an inwardly f directed peripherally extending Yiiange-like member 16 slottedV opening or recess 18 in the ,innerV edge of said gasket receives lin frictional engaging .relationship anV inner panel 19 fashioned, preferably, of a suitable Yfibrous or plastic material.l In accordance with standard practice thermal insulation 2S fills-the space between said 22 of standard manufacture may be used in lieuof the conventional hand operated handle. Y

V,Now in accordance with Ythe, more specific teachings Vof the invention thereV is provided, in one preferred application thereof, a channel-'like trim retainer strip mernber 2,3 which may Ibe aihxed by suitable screw means 24 that supports a resilient rubber-like sealink gasket 17. A

inner panel 19 and "the outer door panel 12. YHinges V21 y provide for pivotallymounting he'door on the cabinet;V while a foot operated opening and latching mechanism to the eiterior surface of the side wallsY 14 and 15 and top wall 13 ofsaid door. Said 'retainerstrip has a crosslsection shaped, preferably, to resemble aV substantially flat U with a generally flat central portion 2S that joins Aiixed to the fiat upwardly disposed surface 2S of.

said trim retainer is a strip of pressure-sensitive doublefaced Vadhesive tape 36'whichcan be made Vto adhere to- 'Y A similar strip `of tape, preferably, is also placed beneath the klower Vtrim In the latter. instance, however, the tape isV placed directly on the surface of the doorV panel that said retainer by a slight hand pressure.

strip 33.

will be beneath said trim. .For convenience in use `it is Y desirable that the width of said tape selected be slightly fnarrower than at portion 25 of the retainer upon'which it is to be positioned, and also narrower than that of the lower trim 33 under which it will lie, thereby avoiding any overlap along .the edgesrthereof. Although any one` of several Vcommercial products presently YVavailable would serveV the purposes intended for saidV tape a highly satisfactory product for such adhering applications isrthe Y pressure-sensitive, double-face scotch tape number 400 Y manufactured and sold commercially by the Minnesota shortoppositely disposed legs 26 and 27 that are coni Y Vcavely curvedslightly inwardly, and said retainer when secured will be arrangedY so'thatvthe opening or mouth of the .U-channel willface the door panel to which it will be secured while the edges of the curved legs thereof willrabut the surface of said panel. If desired, of course,V

the screws Z-l-V may becounter sunk in the retainer 23 Vbutsuch is not-I necessary forthe proper functioning of n the device. Y

A channel-like protecting and trim strip 28 is fashioned,

Mining Company. Said tape may be positioned-on the retainer and beneath the trim at the factory during fabri- Y cation of the refrigerator cabinet, or, if desired,`it may be placed thereon by the Vuser Vat some later time.V Lile-V Wise the replacement thereof because of we'ariorV de-V Y terioration Vat some'subsequent timecan easily be acpreferably, withY a cross-section that resembles a C-shape and includes Vanroutwardly curvedior bowed central or Y Vbody portion 29 havingy marginaledges Vthat are slightly vconcavely or'inwardly curved to .provide longitudinallyV extending curved flanges Strand 31; Said curved flanges e fare adapted to slip over and snap around the curvedl edges, of the Yretainertso that said; trim will be frictionally t secured to said retainer'by virtue of the 'resiliency of the bowedrcentral portion 29 of saidV trim. The trim as lthus disposed serves notonly as a decorative trim' strip but alsoV as a protective strip for the retainer and for the edges of the covering material which will subsequently beplaced therebeneath. Said trim strip, .as well as said trim retainer, may be fabricated from any suitable material such, for instance, as a metal or a plastic that will provide the resiliency necessary to retain said two memcomplished by a housewife without the use of any special tools or other devices.

i An additional trim,ras best seen inrFigs. land 5,71whiclr1` Y may be provided Vas a combined decorative trim-'and Y intermediate or'supplementary sheathing material securing.V means, includes a triangularly sectioned triml strip Y37 having spike-like `studs 3S projecting from the flat side Y thereof for frictionally engaging conventional mating tubbers engagedV after one has been snapped-onV over the' other,wl 1ile, the trim, in addition, should be susceptible oftappropriate finishing or other desired decorativetreatment so that the appearance thereof will not materially detract'jfrom the 'general appearance of the cabinet door to which it is attached. Said trim maybe formed in a Ysingle longitudinally extending piece and bentto iit theY top and sides, or,`if desired, it may be divided into three sections, one each for the sides and one forfthe top.

In theflatter instance vclips 32 may be used to. ctovei the joints where the side sections abut and join the top section. VVVAlong the-bottom of the door panel 12 Vthere may be positioned an additional trim strip 33 which is disposed,

preferably, adjacent the lower edge ofrsaid panel so as to overlie Vthe side walls .14Yand 15 Yas wellV as the front character Vareralmost limitless. ItV should be appreciated wallof said panel, land, whichV may, bei longitudinally*V i' bentror preformed to resemble aflat U. VWhile the crosssection of the trim-33`is indicated as being substantially tn'angular'in shape it will beappreciated that-such V.configuration may vary. at will as this is merely a designers choice. .Attached by any suitable means to the flat sur-V Vface of said trim -are a number of spike-like studs 34 which are 'adapted' to be frictionally received into corr..Y

ventional tubular or `sleeve-like fasteners 35, inrturu, se-

i mately to size.

Y ular or sleeve-like fasteners 39, in'tu'rn, iixedly secured to Y the innei surfaceof the panel 1:2 in much the same manner as Vthat of the lower trim 33 previously described.V The longitudinal configuration of the trim 37, it will be un- 1 derstood, may be made to correspond with any preselected ydesign motif and in the. present instance the surfaceY of the front panel 12 having been debossed in a longitudinal as well as arlateral direction for design purposes the trim 37tis shaped to tit or conform therewith.

` Now in order to cover, dress-up, sheath orupholster thel refrigerator cabinet door in accordance with, the intent of thepresent invention itV isY necessary-to remove only the trim strips 28, 33, and 37. An ordinary screw driver;

or table knife is suiiicient'to'separa'te the push-on typerfas- Y teners that hold the trim strips 33 *and 37 Yin place, andY to unsnap the trim 28 off-the trim retainer 23. After the trim pieces have beenrrcmoved a piece of sheathing. or covering material 40. is cut by. suitable Vmeans Vapproxitic having the desired coloring Yor design patterns fabricated therein. Papers, thin cardboardsV or other brousVY .materials may also-be employed if desired, VIn, fact,.the`

materials suitable fora coyering or sheathing'of this howeyenthat the Vmaterialselected must be suiflciently pliable as to be readily stretched and be Vformable around the contours of the door panel, and furthermore, it`must be suticiently thin to permitits insertion beneath .the protecting orY covering 'trim strips without interfering with e the snap-on securing action thereof. Initially thelower edge of the material is rst pressed onto the tape 36ValongV the bottom edge of the, front paneland then gradually the other edges of the material are pressed onto the strips'of adhesive-tape disposed along the sides and-top `to provide t.

a transitional, intermediate or temporary means for holding or securingY said material in place over the` surface Y Said sheathing ,or covering material may, 1 ofcourse, be a textile fabric Vappropriately colored'or patterned, or itrmay be aV sheetor-unsupportedtilm of plas- Y S until the more permanent and nal securing means is subsequentlyy applied. With this` temporary'f'andr easily removable arrangement the material niay be` gradually yadjusted so as to provide a smooth, at and unwrinkled covering over the entire panel with tlie material being made to closely follow all the contours thereof. Excess material, of course, may be trimmed off by the use of conventional Scissors or any other sharp edged 'blade or i11- st'ument. Small amounts of excess material around the edges may be doubled-back and fitted under the covering and securing trim if so desired.

Upon completion of the covering and forming or shaping operation the channel-like trim protecting strip 28 is positioned over the retainer strip 23 and the two secured together by a snap-on actionas Vthe curved anges along the outer edges o f said trim slip over and frictionally engage in jaw-like fashion the curved -ed'gey portions of said retainer strip. As the protecting trim 28 is thus pressed on over the retainer strip 23 the longitudinally extending edge 31 of the trim contacts the material and forces or Wedges it into the corner, formed wherethe curved-edge of said retainer strip abuts the exterior surface of the panel 12, and in so doing tightly stretches the material over the surface of the panel and, atA the .same` time, presses said material along its edge portions into closely covering or overlying relationship with said panel. After the trim strip is snapped into place, with the material stretched tightly over the surface and the edge portions thereof held or gripped between the closely engaging portions of the trim and retainer, these two members will cooperate to xedly or finally secure the position of the material over the panel surface. in the event the material has initially been stretched too tightly over the surface of the panel the adhesive tape temporary securing means will give or yield slightly when the trim strip 28 is subsquently pressed onto the retainer strip 23. The yielding action of this connection between the material and the panel avoids tearing or damaging the material which might otherwise result when the trim was snapped over the retainer.

The bottom trim strip 33 is pressed into place adjacent the lower edge of the panel l2 by merely forcing the spike-like studs 34 through the material and through the adhesive tape therebeneath, and into the fasteners 3S ou the reverse side of the panel. The trim 33 thus functions not only as a decorative member but also as a finalized securing or aflixing means for the covering material around the lower edge of said panel. The centrally disposed trim 37 is pressed into place in the same manner as said bottom trim and, when so positioned, functions not only as a decorative member but also as a supplementary securing means for the material, and since it is disposed intermediate the edges of said material it is particularly useful in helping to tightly stretch the material and to press the material close to the surface of the panel. In the present instance said trim is fashioned to conform with a longitudinally and laterally debossed area in the panel and the trim, therefore, further aids, as shown in Fig. 5, in forcing the material to conform to the irregular contours resulting from such debossing, and, at the same time, to slightly stretch the material in both directions. A scui plate or push panel 41, when provided, may also be held in place by the conventional push-on-type fasteners likewise used for the trim strips 33 and 37.

In Figs. 8 and 9 there is illustrated a modified arrangement for removably ahixing a covering or sheathing material to a refrigerator cabinet in conformance with the teachings of the present invention. As illustrated, the fastening device is shown as utilized with a conventional refrigerator door 11, fabricated in substantially identical form with the door heretofore described in detail and with corresponding or like elements represented with the same reference numerals previously recited therefor., In this embodiment the retainer strip, indicated generally by the reference numeral 42, includes a longitudinally extending anchoring bo'dy member 43 bent back or folded over itself, as indicated in Fig.- 8, with one mrginaledge thereof bent outwardiy to forni a ang'e 44-the free edge' of which is rounded over or inwardly curved and provides `an overhanging channel-like lip 45".' The other free longitudinally extending edge 46 of said body member is provided with a plurality of spaced'iiat'barb-like or pointed members 47 bent over approximately 90 toward said overhanging lip, and, intermediate said barbs and bent over approximately to extend in the opposite direction thereto, a plurality of shelf-like extensions, anges or platforms 48. Said flanges or extensions, said barbs and said lip are disposed, preferably, in separate planes slightly spaced from one another with the barbs positioned in a plane intermediate said lip and said 'anged extensions, thus avoiding physical interference therebetween because of the location of these elements.

The retainer fastening member 4Z is adapted for afiixment to the door flange 16 by means of its anchoring body portion 43 which is disposed intermediate the gasket seal 17 land said ange and is securely fixed therebetween by conventional screw-'type securing means ('ir'ot Shown) generally provided for retaining said gasket seal in place.

An angle-like protecting trim and securing-s`trip-49, fasho'riedwith a cross-section generally resembling an L, is provided for covering in a snap-on fashion the retainer 42. The marginal edges of said trim strip may be inwardly curved or bent, as indicated at Sti and 51, to cooperate with said retainer in effecting a snap-on action as one of said curved edges overlies and tightly engages the ange 44, of said retainer, while said other curved edge ts over and tightly engages the shelf-like extensions 48 thereof.

in the modified arrangement, as was the oase with the previously described embodiment of the material securing means, the covering material is pressed against pressuresensitive tape ydisposed along the bottom edge of the door and then covered with the lower trim member 33, but around the sides and top however, the material is merely hooked over the barbs 47, the surplus cut oif from around the edges thereof, and then the trim 49 snapped on to the retainer over the covering material to stretch said material and finally secure it as before.

While the foregoing description has been confined to that of an application of a sheathing or covering material to the door of a refrigerator cabinet it will be appreciated that other portions of said cabinet may also be treated in the same manner, and the present invention, it should be understood, envisages the inclusion of such applications as falling within the scope and spirit of its original concept.

The embodiments of the invention chosen for the purpose of illustration and description herein are those preferred as a result of selective tests based upon requirements for achieving the objects of the invention and developing the utility thereof in the most desirable and facile manner, `due regard being had to existing factors of economy, simplicity of design and construction, production methods, ease of application by the housewife, and the improvements sought to be effected. lt will be appreciated, therefor, that the particular structural and functional aspects employed here are not intended to exclude, but rather to suggest, such other adaptations and modifications of the invention as fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. Means for removably aflixing a decorative covering material to the surface of a cabinet or like structure, comprising: a trim retainer strip secured to the cabinet surface; said retainer strip being fashioned in the form of a channel and being disposed so that the mouth of the channel faces the cabinet surface to be covered, while a generally at outer face portion of the channel faces away from thel cabinet surface; Ya pressure sensitive Y '3. The method of `sheating Y Y ator cabinet doorV with a covering material which, comprises,positioning a sheet ofY covering material VoverA double-faced removable adhesive tape adhesiVely-'applied to Vthe outer Yface of said retainer stiipsggsaidrtape having an adhesive outer-surface for theV application 'of f the covering material thereto; and a protecting trim strip shaped to conform tothe retainer stripfand adapted Vto t cover said retainer strip andV simultaneoustherewith toV Y Yengage and hold the covering Ymaterial-againstYthe adhesive tape Yand upon said retainer strip, p Y Y,

2. A removable sheathing assembly for a refrigerator cabinet panel, comprising: a retainer adapted for securement to the panel proximate the edges thereof; said retainer being fashioned with a channel-shaped crossvr section having a generally flat central member connecting with oppositely curved short legsV and disposed sojthat the'free ends of the short legs abut the surface of the cabinet panel while a generally flat outer surface of the Y connecting member faces away `from the cabinetsurface;

a pressure-sensitive double-faced removable adhesive tape adhesively applied to anouter flat face of said retainer; a flexible sheathing matpialfor covering'the surface of the panel; saidV tape having an'adhesive outer surface for the application of said sheathing material thereto; .and a Y protecting'trim strip shaped to vclampingly engage said retainerY and simultaneous therewith holdrthe sheathing material against the adhesive vtape and uponvrsaidretainer.

the doorsurface to be sheathed` initially securing -edgeV portions only ofY the` material by ,transitionalV securing means tothe door, shaping iand formingthe material Vby readjustment of thertransitionalsecuring means to conform with thejcontoursof the surface of the door,

and securely aixing edge portionsonly of the Vmateriali,V

by supplementary securing meansto Ythe door simultaneously with stretching the material tightly surface of thedoor. Y

References Cited in the file of this patent Y i 2,581,195 Lyijynen Jan. l,V

the surface Vof refrigerfY over the 1936; Y i 1937V 

